The National Parks of Boston will welcome LÉ Samuel Beckett, one of four offshore patrol vessels in the Irish Naval Service Fleet, at Pier 1 of the Navy Yard, from Oct. 3-7.
During the port visit the ship will be berthed alongside America’s “Ship of State”, the USS Constitution. Free public tours will be offered daily beginning Friday, October 4, through Sunday, October 6; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are on a first-come, first-served basis, no reservations will be accepted. No weapons, bags of any kind, or drinking containers are permitted. Small purses and cameras will be permitted. Adults must have a photo ID. The ship is not handicapped accessible.
The naming of the LÉ Samuel Beckett shares in the literary tradition of all four vessels in the Irish Naval Service’s P60 class, being named for some of Ireland’s great literary figures; LÉ James Joyce, LÉ William Butler Yeats, and LÉ George Bernard Shaw. The LÉ is an acronym for “Long Eireannach”, meaning “Irish Ship”, as the United States uses USS for “United States Ship.” The primary mission of the P60 class vessels is fisheries protection, search and rescue, and maritime protection operations, including vessel boardings.
Visitors today can experience a working shipyard in the Navy Yard, as the U.S. Navy continues to maintain and preserve the USS Constitution, and for five days, the Irish Navy enhances the visitor experience at the shipyard as they welcome the public aboard the LÉ Samuel Beckett.